Pastor Bruce
Pastor Bruce
June 2010
“The What, Who and How of Christian
Discipleship”
what
is a disciple?
Webster defines “disciple” as a
learner; a
follower; a believer; a
witness. This provides us with the
basis for a good definition of what
it means to be a disciple of Jesus Christ. Consider the following…
We
learn
(1)
of God’s promises in Christ whenever we gather in His House and around His Word.
We follow
(2)
when we hear and obey those things of which we have learned. We
believe
(3)
because we are given the gift of faith at the hearing of His Word, and that
faith enables us to follow Him. We
witness
(4)
to what we believe when we confess that “Jesus is Lord” with our mouths and our
lives. Jesus commands us to learn,
follow, believe and witness! Hear
His Word!
1. Learn from Me…
”Take my yoke upon you, and learn
from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your
souls.” (Matthew 11:29)
2.
Follow Me… ”And he said to all, if anyone would come after me, let him
deny himself and take up his cross daily and
follow me.” (Luke 9:23) “My sheep
hear my voice, and I know them, and they
follow me.” (John 10:27)
3. Believe in Me…
”For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, that whoever
believes in Him should not perish but
have eternal life (John 3:16). Let not your hearts be troubled.
Believe in God;
believe also in me.” (John 14:1)
4. Bear Witness of Me…
”Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise
from the dead, and that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed
in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem.
You are
witnesses of these things.” (Luke
24:46-48)
WHO are Jesus’ disciples?
Jesus says to those who believe, "If you
abide in my word,
you
are truly my disciples.” (John 8:31)
HOW
do we carry out the task of discipleship?
Speaking to His disciples, Jesus says, “Go
and make disciples of all
nations.”(Mt. 28:19a)
Listen to Your Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
YOU are His disciples, men, women and children who have been called upon
to share the Good News with others. That commission is not Jesus’ suggestion;
this is His divine command for
all who believe in His Name.
He gives YOU the great responsibility of reaching out to those within
your community, both within and outside of our church. How do you go about this
task?
It’s easy!
Here are three suggestions on how all of us can effectively
serve as witnesses…
1.
Everyone can think of someone whom they haven’t seen in church recently.
Give them a call, and invite them to join you next Sunday.
2.
Many of us have family members who do not regularly attend church. Ask
them to join you next Sunday.
3.
Is there someone you’d like to invite to church, but you can’t quite
figure out how to go about it? Write down that name and give it to the Pastor or
one of our Elders.
It is God’s desires that all should be saved.
Share in His desire! Encourage those who have strayed to be in that place where
God meets His people in Word and Sacrament, knowing that…
Pastor Bruce